1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stretchable warp knitted fabric which stretches in a wale direction, and more particularly, to a stretchable warp knitted fabric with excellent flexibility, in which stretching in a course direction is minimized when it is extended in the wale direction, and thus ruffling does not occur.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fabrics which are adhered to a body such as a fastening band, a bracing band, or a supporter are required to be extensible in at least a longitudinal direction thereof such that they can deform in accordance with any given body shape.
As such a stretchable fabric, it is preferably to use a fabric obtained by knitting. A structure of the knitted fabric is less compact than that of a fabric obtained by weaving, and there is a space in a knitted loop itself as well as between the loops, and at the same time by interposing a stretchable yarn in the fabric, the fabric can have suitable and stable stretch properties over a long period of time. Particularly, because a weft knitted fabric can stretch in warp and weft (wale and course) directions, it is often used as the stretchable fabric.
However, there is a tendency for the weft knitted fabric to be too flexible when compared with the woven fabric. Meanwhile, a warp knitted fabric is more flexible than the woven fabric, and it is stretchable to some extent due to its characteristic knitted loops structure.
However, when this stretchable warp knitted fabric is pulled in the longitudinal direction, a width thereof shrinks and becomes narrow in the middle thereof. In order to avoid such a condition, in JP-A No. 2000-509109, a single monofilament is run through substantially the entire width of the fabric in the course direction, thereby making the configuration of the fabric stable.
However, in the case where one monofilament is run through an entire surface of the fabric along the courses of the warp knitted fabric as a weft in-laid yarn, when the fabric is pulled in the longitudinal direction, the monofilament itself deforms in a ruffled state and then, a great amount ruffling of the fabric is provided in a width direction.
An object of the invention is to provide a flexible warp knitted fabric, in which a great amount of ruffling in the width direction does not occur and there is no narrowing in the middle of the longitudinal direction, even when pulled in the longitudinal direction.